Letters to the editor
Posted on October 8, 2007

Women misrepresented in symposium

However fascinating the Battle of the Sexes symposium may appear, Jeff Genota’s recent opinion on the male-to-female ratio of JMU was founded on faulty perceptions and egregious judgments.

Let me remind him that not all females are sitting in flawlessly decorated bedrooms, flipping through bridal magazines, simply waiting to be whisked away by the companion of our future lives — the companion to whom you so boldly claim we want nothing but to domesticate and oppress. Your flippant assumptions on the nature of women are nothing but misogynistic judgments that are clearly underestimating our worth, desires and abilities.

Would it come as a shock to you that some of us may enjoy adventure and “wild” activity as much as you do? Love for adventure and freedom from domesticity are not attributes kept within the confines of masculine nature.

If you don’t believe me, I am fully willing to propose a race, on foot or skis, or how about a rock climbing competition? Or maybe I’ll just see you out on a trail somewhere, climbing a mountain. You are right, we are surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes and I too am going to make use of it, just leave your superiority complex at home.  

Rebecca Parker
junior, justice studies

Nostalgic about American policy

Eighteen months ago, I wrote in The Breeze’s Opinion section on the necessity and method of the United States attacking Iran. With all signs pointing to an ever-increasing chance that the United States will attack Iran, I feel compelled to retract that statement.

Allowing President Bush to start yet another unconstitutional (or undeclared) war could be disastrous for our country on many levels. Most alarmingly, the neoconservative ideology that currently dominates the modern conservative movement and the Bush administration is simply shredding our Constitution.

Let us return to the American foreign policy that advocates peace, prosperity and neutrality. Let us return to the American foreign policy advocated by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Sen. Robert Taft. Let us return to the American foreign policy aptly summarized by presidential candidate Ron Paul: “We should take our marching orders from our Constitution.”

Anthony Riedel
alumnus, ‘07